Journalist Dean Jones has hailed Harry Maguire as a leader at Manchester United, backing Erik ten Hag to bring the outcast back into the team in the match against Brentford on Saturday (October 7).
Maguire has fallen down the pecking order under the tutelage of Ten Hag. The Dutch manager prefers the center-back pairing of Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez and promotes Victor Lindelof from the bench if the situation demands it. Even left-back Luke Shaw has played ahead of Maguire on a few occasions.
The England international was close to leaving for West Ham United in the summer, but he refused to accept the offer until he received a £7 million ($8.57 million) payoff from United. The Hammers eventually got tired of waiting and pulled the offer.
Jones Makes A Case For Manchester United Outcast Maguire
Since the botched move, the former Manchester United skipper has played just 116 minutes of football for United in all competitions. With Martinez out with a foot injury and Andre Onana lacking confidence in goal, Jones believes Ten Hag should bring back Maguire into the team against Brentford.
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the reputed journalist said:
“Harry Maguire obviously has this general reputation in the game that’s basically led by online opinion now. But he played quite well the last time he played for Manchester United against Palace.
“He is a leader. He talks through that team and is respected within that team. At a time when United really need things brought together – Andre Onana seems low on confidence, and you’ve got Sofyan Amrabat coming into the team and bedding in – I feel like Maguire might actually be needed.”
Jones concluded by saying:
“It will be interesting to see during this Lisandro Martinez lay-off period whether Maguire does get some chances because he needs to see that he’s got some faith from the manager, and it should be coming now.”
United Are In Dire Need Of A Win
The Red Devils have had a tough time getting into the groove this season. They have just won three Premier League games this season, losing the other four. With nine points acquired, United are 10th in the Premier League standings. The Red Devils have been in even worse shape in the UEFA Champions League, losing both of their matches so far. In their last outing on Tuesday (October 3), United fell to a shock 3-2 defeat to Galatasaray at Old Trafford.
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